Customer Intimacy on Steroids: Why b2b companies need to build online communities for their customers

PART I: CUSTOMER INTIMACY ON STEROIDSWhy B2B Companies Needto Build Online Communitiesfor Their Customers By Vanessa DiMauro I N T R O D U C T I O N / S U M M A RY and Robert Buday Seminars, publications, market research, and customer care centers are some of the most important tools in every business-to-business firm’s toolbox for understanding, attracting, serving and keeping customers loyal. But in a world of fierce global price competition, increasing transparency of business practices, and ever-rising complexity, these customer interaction channels are no longer enough for many B2B companies. Today, software companies such as SAP and Taleo, business information providers such as LexisNexis, and consulting firms such as Palladium Group have moved much of these interactions to online communities they have built for their customers. While they are still in the early stages, these online communities are providing these companies with a competitive advantage: the ability to get much closer and become more valuable to customers every day, around the clock. In the first of a multipart series, we review the traditional ways that B2B companies have interacted with customers and their limitations in a world in which change has dramatically accelerated. We then discuss why a number of companies have launched online customer communities in the last few years, defining the core hallmarks of successful communities. 1

PART I: CUSTOMER INTIMACY ON STEROIDS E ver since 1895, when Deere & Co. mailed to farmers being very late to market. Holding webinars or publishing the first-ever custom publication, businesses that journals quarterly or even monthly can risk giving sell to other businesses have embraced a variety of customers information long after others have filled the techniques for getting close to their customers. Trade void. Conducting online research panels every six months shows, user group meetings, seminars and webinars, may make a new product or advertising campaign dead syndicated research studies and publications that can’t be on arrival because customer needs and interests have found on a newsstand have become commonplace in B2B – changed that quickly. much more so than in B2C. It isn’t surprising. The average B2B sale is typically much larger than it is for B2C firms. And for B2B firms, By relying on traditional ways a small number of customers can account for the majority of their revenue. Thus, it pays for B2B companies to go of interacting with customers, to extra lengths to pay attention to their customers. In fact, many devote substantial resources on programs to many B2B firms are struggling to dissect customer needs, educate prospects on products keep up with growing customer and services, create personal relationships, and promote their offerings. demands and more-nimble But the B2B world has changed markedly in just the last competitors anxious to capitalize decade. Executives get more information through search engines today than from any other source, including on those nascent needs. meetings, print publications, and sales calls. Word of mouth increasingly travels more through online social networks such as Twitter and LinkedIn than it does through A small but growing number of B2B companies have business get-togethers. And many publications are out of realized this. While they haven’t pulled the plug on the date by the time they thump on a manager’s desk. customer interaction programs of the past, they have The result: By relying on traditional ways of adopted a new way of getting inside the minds of buyers, and interacting with customers, many B2B firms are struggling on a daily basis: creating private online communities. Such to keep up with growing customer demands and more- websites, gated off from unwanted intrusion by most Web nimble competitors anxious to capitalize on those nascent viewers, allow business people to view articles and studies needs. Waiting for the annual conference to announce key for their eyes only, form private discussion groups to air out new-product introductions can now penalize a firm with sensitive issues, weigh in on the products and services of theA BRIEF HISTORY OF B2B CUSTOMER INTERACTION TOOLSB2B companies have used a range of discipline until about a half century later. technology (e.g., International Data Corp.techniques to become familiar with their By the 1960s, several companies started to in 1964 and Gartner Group in 1979). Sincecustomers and generate repeat business for appear, dedicated to conducting research then B2B firms have seen an explosion ofmore than 100 years. To understand the on B2B customer needs. In 1964, the UK’s syndicated research firms. Today, researchvalue of these techniques and how they have first B2B market research firm, the Industrial firms catering to the IT and many otherevolved, we discuss them in five categories: Market Research Association (IMRA), was sectors provide B2B companies with a wideeducating, meeting, understanding, promot- formed. By the 1990s, IMRA renamed itself range of research on customers.ing and supporting. Business Intelligence Group as B2B market Over the last decade, B2B companies have research went beyond the sector of heavy also conduct a substantial amount of theirUnderstanding: Divining Customers’ Needs and light manufacturing.1and Wants own customer research (which, of course,While some business historians point to In the U.S., B2B market research firms they don’t share with other firms as theythe early 20th century and companies like started sprouting up in fast-growing, highly do when they subscribe to syndicatedGeneral Electric, DuPont and Bell Labs as competitive sectors such as information studies). In addition, many use syndicatedwhen research and development became research firms to conduct customized studiesan organized business function, market 1 McNeil, Ruth “Business to Business Market Research: whose results benefit only the firm that fundsresearch didn’t emerge as a formal B2B Understanding and Measuring Business Markets,” (Kogan the research. Page Ltd., 2005). 2

PART I: CUSTOMER INTIMACY ON STEROIDScommunity organizer, and seek out others with experience another, especially to help in-house corporate counsel locatethat can save them from making a bad decision. the right law firms. Martindale-Hubbell has a deeply trusted Online customer communities have become of brand. But three years ago, the firm realized it needed tointense interest in such industries as information change. At the end of the 20th century, lawyers and lawtechnology. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of 207 organizations firms were finding search engines and online sites suchsurveyed in 2010 by the research firm ITSMA said they as LinkedIn as tools to find legal expertise. Such websitesare engaged in private online communities hosted threatened Martindale-Hubbell’s dominant market positionby the companies that sell them computer hardware, as a print directory publisher. So the firm built a private,software and the services.1 And 49% of all B2B companies gated online community, Martindale-Hubbell Connected,manage an online community dedicated to customers or only for legal professionals around the globe.prospects, according to Business.com Business Social With Martindale-Hubbell Connected, those firmsMedia Benchmarking Study (2009), and a third planned have a far better way to get themselves in front of theirto create a customer community in the near future.2 clients, share their expertise with other attorneys, andA 2011 study by B2B Magazine found that 22% of B2B provide a deeper profile of themselves and their firms.firms had online communities . The online community has more than 60,000 members – There are great lessons to be learned from B2B firms 10 times the number of a year ago – from more thansuch as software giant SAP, legal information provider 120 countries. Prior to the community, there were noLexisNexis, and consulting and education firm Palladium dominant online ways for a legal services buyer to findGroup, which have fostered successful online customer and access specialized legal professionals. In an industrycommunities. Their communities have accelerated new where law firm web sites are commonly underdeveloped,product and service development, helped customers finding legal experts was time-consuming and inefficient.generate much more value from their offerings, reduced Martindale-Hubbell Connected has streamlined thethe high cost of post-sale service, and boosted customer process of finding the right legal specialist and now sendsloyalty. The results, in some cases, are stunning. 20 times more qualified prospects to law firm websites than Take LexisNexis’ Martindale-Hubbell business unit, Google search results.a 140-year-old publisher of legal directories. The firm’s Palladium Group is a consulting and education firmbusiness model was founded on helping attorneys find one known for the Balanced Scorecard approach to measuring a company’s operational and financial health. It launched1 ITSMA 2010 report, “How Customers Choose Solutions Providers, an online community for clients in April 2010 and2010: The New Buyer Paradox,” by Julie Schwartz, Katie Espinolaand Olivier Nguyen Van Tan. currently has more than 4,600+ senior practitioners, 1,1702 Ibid. are from clients organizations and 60%+ have the title of Over the Last Century, B2B Companies Have Created Distinct Ways of Interacting With Their Customers CUSTOM PUBLICATIONS TRADE SHOWS SYNDICATED RESEARCH WEBINARS 1895: John Deere creates In the early 1900s, 1964: First B2B market research Late 1990s: Web conference first customer publication, with the rise of trade company (UK) formed: IMRA. comes into vogue for farmers, “The Furrow” associations came Market research business (circulation 1999: 1.5 million) the emergence of explodes, with subscription industry conferences research firms targeting numerous industry sectors (IDC for IT, launched in 1964), Corporate Executive Board in 1979, etc. ™ 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2010 continued on page 4 3

PART I: CUSTOMER INTIMACY ON STEROIDS directors and above; Palladium reviews applications and understanding their needs. (See sidebar on “A Brief sets access rights. In the first six months, the community History of B2B Customer Interaction Tools.”) was generating revenue. Additionally, community helps The customer interaction initiatives of B2B companies Palladium differentiate its value proposition and deepen can be seen as fitting into five broad categories: client relationships. • Understanding. This category covers activities to Since 2003, enterprise software powerhouse SAP discern customer needs and wants, the most notable has launched several online communities. The benefits of which is formal market research. Around the world, have been numerous: faster uptake of new products and B2B and B2C companies spent $31 billion on market enhancements, higher customer satisfaction and loyalty, research in 2010 (nearly $11 billion in the U.S. alone), and better products and customer experiences due to a 33% increase in five years.3 In trying to decipher continuous external feedback. In fact, SAP attributes part customer needs, many B2B companies have historically of its strong Net Promoter Score (a popular measure of spent large sums on market research firms that customer loyalty) to its online communities. conduct focus group, survey, phone and other research. In this installment, we will set the context for In a number of fast-growing industries, market online customer communities. We will explain how research firms have proliferated in number and size – B2B companies have traditionally interacted with e.g., IT (Gartner, IDC, Forrester, etc.) and energy customers: to educate them about how to use their (Cambridge Energy Research Associates), to name just products or services, discern their needs, form personal two. Many B2B firms have sizable in-house market relationships, provide support and promote their research staffs as well. products and services. We then describe the changes in • Educating. This is about providing insights to customers customer needs, competition and technology that are on how they can address the problems for which a B2B forcing many B2B companies to rapidly improve the company’s offering is just one part of the solution. This ways they interact with customers. is the essential role that “thought leadership marketing” has taken on in an increasing number of B2B sectors, WHY TODAY’S CUSTOMER INTERACTION CHANNELS ARE FALLING SHORT including consulting, IT services, software, office B2B companies collectively spend billions of dollars to furniture, and medical equipment. The sector that has attract and become more familiar with their customers. Companies like IBM, General Electric, SAP, and McKinsey 3 According to “Global Market Research 2010” a study published in 2010 by ESOMAR, a Dutch research firm. have established well-developed mechanisms for http://www.esomar.org/uploads/industry/reports/global- getting themselves in front of customers and intimately market-research-2010/ESOMAR_GMR2010_Cover-Contents- FirstChapter.pdfcontinued from page 3Educating: Helping Customers Get More agricultural technology (especially Deere’s).2 $30 billion annually on producing andValue From Their Purchases The $26 billion company still publishes The mailing them, according to an industry tradeIn 1895, some 48 years after its founder Furrow, which has a worldwide circulation group, the Custom Content Council.4 Ranginginvented the world’s first self-polishing cast today of 1.5 million. “The Furrow has become from software giant Oracle to Toyota (whichsteel plow, agricultural equipment manu- an institution in U.S. agriculture,” a past publishes a magazine for its Lexis customers),facturer Deere & Co. created a publication editor told a researcher in 2003. “It’s been they largely follow The Furrow’s 116-year-oldcalled The Furrow for its customers -- farmers read by generation of farmers. As the market editorial formula: provide useful advice aboutacross the U.S. The magazine, regarded in shrunk over the years, we have found it even how to use their products. Whether they aresome circles as the first customer publica- more important to capture the attention of written for farmers or a customer’s computertion in North America, focused on all things those readers.”3 department, these publications have becomeimportant to farmers, especially advance- a critical customer relationship tool over the Today many companies have customerments in farming methods. Deere didn’t last century. According to a UK trade associa- magazines. Numbering 116,000 in Northdesign the publication to directly sell farming tion for the custom publishing industry, the America alone, these firms collectively spendequipment. (That was the role of its indepen- average customer spends 25 minutes a monthdent dealers.) Rather the publication’s rolewas educating farmers about advances in 2 The history of Deere’s publication The Furrow can be found in a white paper of The Publishing & Media Group. 4 Custom Content Council. Pearl Awards Recognize Excellence In Custom Publishing. Retrieved on September 29, 2011 from http:// 3 Ibid www.custompublishingcouncil.com/news-members-article.asp?ID=88 4

PART I: CUSTOMER INTIMACY ON STEROIDS been in the lead on thought leadership marketing is the firm’s ever-evolving strategic and product direction. management consulting industry, and here McKinsey SAP has long been regarded as having the premier & Company stands out. The firm has published its enterprise resource planning (ERP) software system, prestigious McKinsey Quarterly journal since 1964, one that can cost tens of millions of dollars when the setting the standard for journals that demonstrate a installation, consulting and training expenses are B2B firm’s expertise without directly selling its products added to the licensing fees. Customers essentially put or services. In an industry where the number of their billing, order fulfillment, accounts payable and consulting firms has doubled in the last 15 years in the receivable and other vital functions in SAP’s hands U.S. alone (to 100,000), McKinsey’s revenue has grown when they adopt the software. And so making it easy more than threefold (from $1.8 billion in 1995 to $6.6 for potential customers to get to know the organization billion in 2010 4). McKinsey Quarterly articles have no doubt helped the firm tee up numerous conversations Enabling customers to take for McKinsey consultants and Fortune 1000 CEOs and their management teams. measure of B2B vendors and• Meeting. This refers to the seminars, conferences, talk to their personnel as well briefings and other venues that B2B firms establish or participate in to get to know customers outside of as other customers has long sales meetings. Enabling customers to take measure been a successful tactic in B2B of B2B vendors and talk to their personnel as well as other customers has long been a successful tactic in customer interaction strategies B2B customer interaction strategies. It’s why “user group” conferences have become well-established in the IT industry. Take the enterprise software segment and its other customers before having to make a seven- of the industry. Launched in 1989, SAP’s customer or eight-figure purchasing decision is important. And conferences (called Sapphire) have been important that’s why SAP’s Sapphire conferences are important: tools in helping the firm get to know its thousands of They help reduce customers’ worries. Accordingly, worldwide customers and gaining their support for the Sapphire has been a key factor in SAP’s ascent to $18 billion in annual revenue over the last 30 years.4 This data is from two sources. The 1995 data is from Kennedy • Promoting. We use this term as a catch-all category forInformation, as quoted in the 2010 book, “The Lords of Strategy,” the marketing programs that B2B companies conduct toby Walter Kiechel III. The 2010 data is from Forbes Magazine’s2010 list of the largest U.S. private companies. attract customer attention. While much of this comesreading magazines published by its suppli- Meeting: Getting Together With Customers to The rise of industry trade associations in theers, and claims such publications increase Cement Relationships late 1800s fueled the rise of B2B conferencesloyalty by 32%.5 The activity of merchants getting together as an efficient way for buyers and sellers to with other merchants has been happening for get together and form or renew relationships.In fact, the emergence of a new type of a long time, even before the birth of Christ. By the early 1900s, the exhibition busi-marketing – alternatively referred to as Fast forwarding to the mid-1800s, England’s ness took root in the U.S., becoming a key“thought leadership,” “content” or “solutions” Prince Albert convened the first international marketing tool.7 The rapid rise of trade andmarketing – reflects the desire of B2B compa- trade fair in London in 1851, attracting more professional associations, which itself hasnies to get better at educating their customers than 13,000 exhibitors and 6 million visitors, become a $30 billion industry in the U.S.,and prospects. By elevating their marketing both businesses and consumers. Similar has provided B2B companies with extensivebeyond a feature-and-function basis to more shows cropped up in the rest of Europe, as opportunities to meet annually with manyof a consultative sell, B2B companies hope well as the U.S. (Philadelphia and New York) customers and prospects in one location.to become a more valued and trusted source,moving into buyers’ consciousness at the very over the next 30 years.6 Trade shows, seminars and conferences –beginning of their purchasing process. continued on page 6 6 Lancaster, John. “Trade Exhibitions – 1851 to 1933: An 7 Australian Perspective,” published in September 2008 Retrieved The Inside Track. “History of Trade Shows” retrieved on from http://www.philatelicdatabase.com/stamp-exhibitions/trade- October 1, 2011 from http://www.theinsidetrackinc.com/History-5 www.apa.co.uk exhibitions-1851-to-1933-an-australian-perspective/ of-Trade-Shows.aspx 5

PART I: CUSTOMER INTIMACY ON STEROIDS in the form of advertising, direct marketing, and PR, can represent a significant portion of the bottom line, other promotional channels include marketing events reducing churn matters a lot. B (which could fall under “meeting” as well). The medical 2B companies that have mastered one or more industry – pharmaceuticals in particular – thrives of the techniques for educating, meeting with, on promotional activities such as the sponsorship of understanding, promoting products and services, physician speaker bureaus that educate and inform and supporting customers have gained important physicians about new drug therapies. B2B companies competitive advantages. However, these customer also commonly invest in industry directory listings and interaction channels are no longer sufficient. Why? participation. For example, American Airlines’ Sabre Put succinctly, in a world in which the Internet and airline reservation system was one of the first online global competition have dramatically accelerated the B2B directories and is one of the world’s largest travel pace of business, these channels alone don’t enable marketplaces, connecting travel buyers (travel agencies B2B companies to march in lock step with customers. and their corporate clients) and sellers (the airlines). Specifically, they don’t help companies deal with • Supporting. Once a prospect becomes a customer, three fundamental realities: many B2B companies have quite substantial “customer care” operations to ensure that customer is served • Growing price disadvantages in a “flat” world: after the sale. Computer companies such as Dell devote Today, competition in many B2B sectors increasingly millions of dollars to their B2B call centers. Other comes from offshore providers that enjoy immense organizations such as Convergys and Novartis make it a cost advantages. We’ve already seen this in industries strategic objective to succeed in providing outstanding such as automotive manufacturing, IT services, and customer care and make their customer focused business process outsourcing, and more will fall in line. programs a core part of their sales, marketing and The challenge with B2B companies in North America post-sale delivery strategy.5 The reasons for this are and Europe is how to compete on other bases than price: not surprising. The cost of acquiring a new customer particularly innovative offerings and superior service. But can be five to eight times more than retaining current doing so requires a far deeper and ongoing understanding customers.6 In the B2B world, where a few customers of customer needs, whether for product enhancements, whole new products, or better ways to handle post-sale 5 Pepper, Don and Rogers, Martha. The One to One B2B: Customer Relationship Management Strategies for the Real customer service issues. Traditional techniques for Economy. (Doubleday Business, 2001) understanding customer needs – market research, user 6 Webber, Alan E. “B2B Customer Experience Priorities group meetings, and more – now happen too episodically. In An Economic Downturn: Key Customer Usability Initiatives In A Soft Economy,” Forrester Research, February 19, 2008continued from page 5today collectively referred to as “event Comdex show became a Mecca for hard- to face with customers and prospects andmarketing” – have become staples of the ware and software firms and their corporate discuss issues that uniquely matter to them.B2B marketing mix. U.S. companies spent customers, drawing 200,000 attendees at$17 billion on it in 2003, about 20% of their its peak in 2000. (Due to sharply declining Promoting: The B2B Corporate Website Takes attendance, the last Comdex show was held Center Stagetotal marketing budget.8 The annual industry in 2003.) B2B companies have embraced a numberconference has become a way for B2B of techniques to get their marketing mes-companies to create personal relationships Despite Comdex’s demise, other, more sages to customers. Spending less on mediawith customers and prospects at scale. focused trade shows targeting narrower seg- advertising than their B2C counterparts,In industries underpinned by rapid techno- ments of the $1.5 trillion global IT industry over the last few decades many have turnedlogical change, trade shows have become continue to attract B2B companies and their to direct marketing: the mail, email, anda critical tool for showcasing new products customers.9 In fact, in every industry, trade their own websites. In fact, the corporateand services, forming alliances with distribu- shows are strongly attended because they website has become the hub of many B2Btors and other resellers, and establishing enable companies to efficiently meet face companies’ promotional tools. Yet accord-and renewing customer relationships. In ing to the Marketing Sherpa B2B Marketingthe 1980s, the computer industry’s annual 9 Benchmark Report 2011, only 50% of B2B According to IDC’s Worldwide Black Book, the global IT market8 grew by 8% year over year to more than US$1.5 trillion. Including firms consider their web sites to be effective Business Marketing Association 2003 study, mentioned telecom services, the overall information and communicationson a Wikipedia page about business marketing: technology (ICT) market grew by 6% marketing tools.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_marketing to almost $3 trillion in 2010. continued on page 8 6

PART I: CUSTOMER INTIMACY ON STEROIDS THE LIMITATIONS OF TODAY’S CUSTOMER INTERACTIONS PROGRAMS FORCES OF CHANGE LIMITATIONS OF CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP TECHNIQUES UNDERSTANDING Customer needs change more Traditional B2B market research is too episodic and frequently and increasing lacks depth numbers of new competitors Syndicated studies designed for numerous companies crop up to meet them don’t answer one firm’s unique information needs EDUCATING Rising complexity for customers Publications that share customer experiences are published too infrequently and don’t extensively tap customers’ experiences (because the publishing model precludes customers from conversing directly with other customers) MEETING Customer needs changing more Trade shows, seminars, and user group meetings happen frequently too infrequently, resulting in no ongoing dialogue between customers and marketing, product development, etc., except in the sales and customer service functions PROMOTING Customer needs are more Corporate websites have become more informative, but complex they’re still a one-way communication channel. They aren’t set up to promote dialogue on the site between a company and its potential customers, much less to allow present and potential customers to interact with one another. SUPPORTING Customers need to tap more Traditional call center and self-service websites provide few than the expertise of their (if any) ways for customers to learn from the experiences of B2B suppliers; they need to other customers. Conversations are two-ways: between the access the experience of other supplier and the customer. customers that have adopted their suppliers’ solutions A 2010 survey for the Business Marketing Association software to find the weak points in their far-flung of 413 B2B companies in the U.S. found that monitoring operations – e.g., stores where inventory is stacking customers’ changing preferences and needs was one of up or (conversely) is unavailable; merchandise and their top five marketing challenges.87 cash are “leaking” (i.e., being stuffed in customers’• Soaring customer business complexity: In many and employees’ pockets); and employee turnover and B2B sectors, senior managers are confronted with customer complaints are above the norm. The more that unprecedented complexity – strategic, operational, a retailer depends on such software to fix big operational legal, people, competitive and other issues. It probably problems, the more its success hinges on its software goes without saying that numerous industries are suppliers’ helping it beneficially use their technologies. fighting for survival, particularly those whose products As a consequence, customers of companies like SAS can be digitized and distributed far more efficiently over (analytics software) and SAP (enterprise resource the Internet: newspaper, magazine and book publishers; planning software) now vitally depend on their music companies and music retailers; and others. technology. They increasingly lean on their technology Growing operational complexities hamper nearly every suppliers to put them in touch with other customers that industry, even those that are thriving. Retailers, for have solved the operational problems their technologies example, are increasingly adopting business analytics address. This is why user group meetings have become hugely popular in the IT industry. However, user8 Business Marketing Association. Growth Team Membership™ group meetings – like the market research that B2BAmericas 2010 Marketing Priorities Survey. Study was conductedby the research firm Frost & Sullivan. firms conduct – happen too infrequently for many IT 7

PART I: CUSTOMER INTIMACY ON STEROIDS customers. The custom publications that many B2B About a third of the 200 million+ blogs in the world firms publish for customers are also published too voice opinions about products and brands. But that’s not infrequently for customers who need up-to-the-minute the only place customers can hear about you. Customers knowledge about a fleeting issue. A more efficient way themselves are using social media such as YouTube, that B2B companies such as SAP and Lexis-Nexis can LinkedIn and Twitter to post their own views. For “hand-hold” their customers – and have customers instance, there are over 800 million Facebook users,11 hand-hold other customers – is through a gated online and they share more than 1.5 million pieces of content community built for that purpose. daily.12 B2B companies have little, if any, control over what is said about them in public social media. The only social media channels they do have a chance of About a third of the 200 million+ controlling are ones they own – i.e., the online social blogs in the world voice opinions networks they create that let their customers congregate. And while a B2B company still can’t prevent angry about products and brands. customers from venting on its own online community, But that’s not the only place at the very least it will have the opportunity to respond quickly, before it spreads outside the community. customers can hear about you. The three powerful forces of increasing price competition, growing customer complexity, and rising • Increasingly transparent business practices. Social transparency of business practices are rendering the media allows customers to easily see your dealings with traditional ways of interacting with B2B customers to customers – i.e., their criticisms of your firm, products, be less effective. For a growing number of B2B firms, service policies, as well as your employees’ criticisms. the approaches to understanding, educating, meeting, The Minnesota Nursing Association organized its entire promoting and supporting customers are falling far short. strike using its Facebook account.98 Author Brian Solis THE EMERGENCE OF B2B ONLINE CUSTOMER covers this topic extensively in his book, Putting the COMMUNITIES Public Back In Public Relations.109 Consider these facts: Realizing the limitations of traditional customer interaction approaches, companies such as SAP, LexisNexis, Taleo, 9 Minnesota Nurses Facebook Account: http://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaNurses Palladium Group, and LexisNexis are going beyond them. They have built online communities to take their customers’ 10 Solis,Brian and Breakenridge, Deirdre. Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media Is Reinventing the Aging digital pulse daily. They are bringing customers “inside” Business of PR (FT Press:1999)The Effectiveness of Website Design, continued from page 6Management and Optimization Marketing tactics have changed considerably chances of ranking high in customers’ search in the last 10 years, largely because of the results. Many firms are now redoing their Not way most B2B executives find information: sites to make them better lead generators – effective 7% over the Internet. Search engines have tools that can get viewers to willingly give up become many buyers’ preferred way of contact details and insert them into marketing learning about B2B firms. A 2009 study by automation systems. The thinking is that by Forbes magazine and Google of 354 execu- understanding which website pages attract tives at $1 billion-plus companies found that viewers and by doing background checks search engines had become their most valu- on the viewer and firm, a B2B company canSomewhat effective Very effective able tool for finding business information.10 better identify its viewers, and which ones 43% 50% could be serious leads. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that companies have spent significant sums in search But this is all changing. More and more B2B engine optimization – ensuring their websites firms are looking to determine how social have the content and terms to increase their media can get themselves in front of customers. The idea that an organization will gather infor- 10 Forbes/Google study, “The Rise of the Digital C-Suite: mation about a company’s services primarilySourde Marketing Sherpa B2B Marketing Benchmark Survey How Executives Locate and Filter Business Information.” via the web site is not a realistic approach;Methodology Fielded: August 2010, N=935 More information on the study can be found here. 8

PART I: CUSTOMER INTIMACY ON STEROIDStheir organizations, sharing information and enabling In a 2010 study, 95% of respondents said the number onethem to collaborate with other customers, around the clock. reason they use online communities is to be educated on What do we mean by “online customer community”? It their issues of interest.10is a private website that enables customers to access, create • Issues of mutual interest: Problems that are not inand collaborate via discussions, content and information the best interests of a B2B firm and its customers toabout topics of mutual interest. The key words in this solve collectively are not problems to bring to an onlinedefinition are “customers,” “collaborate,” and “issues of customer community. For example, if a B2B companymutual interest”: wants to use its customer community for recruiting,• Customers: online communities of this type focus that may be in its best interests. But, of course, it is not on achieving the goals of a B2B firm’s customers. B2B in customers’ best interests; recruiting your customers’ companies have formed many other types of online valued employees is against their interests. Similarly, communities – internal ones (for virtual support of asking for customer testimonials and allowing member work teams), ones for suppliers and channel partners, firms into the community that are not in the same peer and more. In contrast, the goal of an online customer group (e.g., a CIO community that has IT vendor sales community is addressing the business issues for which people as members) is a recipe for disaster. It violates the customers buy and use a B2B firm’s products and/or B2B customer community rule of mutual benefit. Most of services. all, there should be no direct selling in an online customer• Collaborate: Online customer communities community. There are two reasons: First, it trains the enable collaboration of two types – between the B2B community organizer to focus its community interactions company hosting the community and its customers, in trolling for leads rather than understanding customers’ and between those customers. But again, the reason larger issues and helping them solve them (some of which these parties collaborate online is to solve customers’ are beyond the ability of a B2B firm to solve). Second, business issues. By doing so, the community host will it starts to erode customers’ trust of the community be better able to solve its own issues: improving its organizer: “They’re only interacting with me to try to products/services, understanding what customers sell me something, which I may or may not need.” The need next in new offerings, and so on. We stress way to think about this is as follows: An online customer this because if the community organizer uses the online community is not about you; it’s about them. community to focus on solving its own issues and minimizes customers’ issues, there will soon be no community at all. 10 According to a 2010 study DiMauro, V, and Bulmer, D. “The New Customers will check out of the community (no matter Symbiosis of Professional Networks.” (SNCR Press, 2010). The study found that “gaining access to thought leadership” was the top reason how much time and resources the organizer has invested). professionals used online communities and networks.customers and prospects are increasingly competitive differentiator in many B2B sectors, But many B2B companies have realizedrelying on external online influencers to make and a major source of investment. Over the last they can’t locate their field support in everybuying decisions. Peer opinions remain execu- 100 years, the form of that support has evolved corner of the world in which they sell theirtives’ most important input to making complex from field repair to call centers to the Web, products and services. So they have cen-decisions. Online communities and other social although all three are alive and well. tralized or regionalized support throughnetworks enable these managers to find and For more than a century, many B2B companies sophisticated call centers in the last 45 years13reach peers and experts far more easily than have had extensive field support networks. and elaborate Web support in the last 15.in the past. In fact, some B2B companies’ “customer care” Computing device maker Dell has thousands operations grew so extensive that they of people working in call centers to supportSupporting: Call Centers and the Web Have spun them off to serve other companies’ B2B customers.Become Instrumental After the SaleTreating customers well after the sale has been customers. Convergys (which used to be partcrucial to B2B companies forever. A mere 5% of the old Cincinnati Bell) and Genpact arereduction in customer defections increases two examples.12company profits by 25 percent to 85 percent.11Post-sale customer support has become a key 12 Auguste, B., Harmon, E., and Pandit, V. “The right service strategies for product companies” The McKinsey Quarterly (2006)11 13 Reichheld, Frederick, and Sasser, W. Earl, “Zero Defections: makes this point, using Convergys as an example. We also know of Call Centre Helper Magazine. The History Of The Call Centre.Quality Comes to Services”, Harvard Business Review, September- Genpact, an IT services firm spun off by General Electric in 1997, Retrieved on September 22, 2011 from http://www.callcentrehelper.October 1990, p. 105. which has grown into a $1.2 billion public company. com/the-history-of-the-call-centre-15085.htm 9

PART I: CUSTOMER INTIMACY ON STEROIDS We realize this is a much narrower definition companies already have them: Bank of America, Americanof online community than many are talking about. Express, Caterpillar, Cisco, EMC and Dell.Depending on your age, industry and profession, the term To varying degrees, these companies use their“online community” can evoke multiple and conflicting communities for six core purposes:perceptions. To further our distinctions, here’s what we • To help customers get more value from their productsdon’t mean: customer service websites; e-commerce sites and services, which helps customers reduce complexitywhere goods and services are bought and sold; online in their businessescustomer panels that focus on customer research; online • To improve their product enhancementspublications that let readers comment on articles; andblogs, twitter and general use of social media broadcast • To develop better new products and servicestools. We’re not saying these are not important. In • Toreduce the cost of post-sale service – by havingfact, they are. But they are not what an online customer customers help other customers and thus relieve a B2Bcommunity must be about if you want to attract members company of some of the pressure of customer supportand hope to keep them. • To market and sell their offerings more effectively Online customer communities of the type we havediscussed are not new to the B2B world entirely. But • To get control of the social media conversations aboutthey have primarily been used by high tech, education their firmsand science organizations with the best access to online In our next installment, we will discuss how a numbercommunity technologies and the skills to use them. Only of B2B companies are using their online customernow, with the ubiquity of more accessible social tools, communities in these ways, and the advantages that theyhave B2B online customer communities started to be and their customers are gaining from them.adopted in mainstream industries. But a number of B2B10

PART I: CUSTOMER INTIMACY ON STEROIDSABOUT THE AUTHORSVanessa DiMauro Robert BudayVanessa DiMauro is the CEO of Leader Networks, a Robert Buday co-founded Bloom Group LLC in 1998. Sinceresearch and strategy consulting company that helps large then, he has worked with numerous professional servicesorganizations succeed in social business and B2B online firms on thought leadership content development,community building. DiMauro is a popular speaker, marketing strategy and marketing programs. He is theresearcher and author. With over 15 years experience in lead author of the 2008 book “Thoughts on Thoughtsocial media leadership positions, she has founded and run Leadership” and the co-author of two Harvard Businessleading online communities for CXO Systems, Cambridge Review articles, “A Consultant’s Comeuppance” (2003) andTechnology Partners and IDG, and has developed winning “Marketing Breakthrough Products” (1999). He blogs atsocial strategies for influential companies such as Cisco, http://www.bloomgroup.com/blogs/bob.Cognizant, EMC, Palladium Group and SAP. She is an Executive-In-Residence at Babson College’sOlin School of Management, and holds both a B.A.and M.A. from Boston College. She blogs at http://blog.leadernetworks.com. 11

The Bloom Groupwww.leadernetworks.com www.bloomgroup.comphone: 617.484.0778 email: bbuday@bloomgroup.comemail: vdimauro@leadernetworks.com phone: 508.497.3411address: 92 Richmond Road address: 60 West Elm St. Belmont, Massachusetts 02478 Hopkinton MA 01748blog.leadernetworks.com bloomgroup.com/blogs/bob

http://blog.leadernetworks.com	1236
http://socialmediatoday.com	270
http://feeds2.feedburner.com	51
http://www.business2community.com	36
http://www.customerthink.com	23
http://feeds.feedburner.com	13
http://translate.googleusercontent.com	3
http://www.techgig.com	3
http://www.twylah.com	2
https://si0.twimg.com	2
http://www.socialbusinessone.com	1

Customer Intimacy on Steroids: Why b2b companies need to build online communities for their customers

by Leader Networks

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

11 Embeds 1,640

Statistics

Customer Intimacy on Steroids: Why b2b companies need to build online communities for their customers Document Transcript